Above: an American Airlines plane in Miami (CJ Photo)

By the Caribbean Journal staff

American Airlines is launching its first-ever flights to Cap-Haitien, Haiti, the carrier announced Monday.

The service will begin Oct. 2, 2014, pending government approval.

“We have proudly served Haiti for more than 40 years and believe this new service is important not only for our customers, but also as an important catalyst to develop the north coast and open up this historically significant destination,” said Art Torno, senior vice president at American Airlines for Mexico, the Caribbean and Latin America in a release.

The move could be a boon to Haiti’s nascent tourism development efforts, which have focused in large part on attracting tourists to Cap-Haitien and the northern portion of the country, home to Haiti’s famous National History Park.

“We are thrilled that American Airlines has decided to launch the first nonstop service from the United States to Cap-Haitien,” Haiti Prime Minister Laurent Lamothe said. “This new route represents a tremendous opportunity for significant economic impact for our country by connecting Miami directly to the second city of Haiti.”

The Miami-Cap-Haitien flights will depart Miami at 9:50 AM daily, arriving in Cap-Haitien at around 11:50 AM. The return flights will leave Cap-Haitien at 2 PM and arrive in Miami around 3:59 PM.

American Airlines will operate the route on a Boeing 737-800; the carrier has been operating to Haiti’s, capital, Port-au-Prince, for decades.

Haiti’s government has been working on a major renovation of the airport, including a new runway strip and terminal. It is the country’s second-largest airport.